Shirin Vajifdar

Shirin Vajifdar (died 29 September 2017) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer, instructor and critic. She was one of the first Parsis who took up Indian classical dance. A doyenne of Kathak, she was an acclaimed performer and teacher. Her choreography in the film Mayurpankh was lauded.

Life Shirin Vajifdar was born in Bombay, India. She had two younger sisters, Khurshid and Roshan. They were brought up in an orphanage in Bombay.

In the 1930s, defying the disapproval of her community, Vajifdar began to learn Kathak with Sunder Prasad, a teacher from the Jaipur Gharana.

Career Vajifdar taught dance to Khurshid and Roshan, with whom she began to perform as the Vajifdar sisters. They trained in all the major schools of Indian dance, including Bharatnatyam and Mohiniattam.

The sisters were the first Parsis to perform Indian classical dance. While conservatives in the Parsi community were opposed to them, she received support from others. Along with Krishna Kutty, she founded the Nritya Darpana Society.

On the eve of Indian independence in 1947, Vajifdar and her pupils, The Marwari Belles, performed at Bombay's Taj Mahal Hotel.

In 1951, Vajifdar and her sisters toured South East Asia, performing and promoting Indian culture.

There do not appear to be any extant recordings of Vajifdar's performances. The Films Division of India had made a film, but it was lost.

In 1954, Vajifdar choreographed a dance sequence in Kishore Sahu's film Mayurpankh. Roshan and Khurshid performed in the sequence.

In 1955, she was part of a dance delegation to China. She essayed the role of Mohini and Bhasmasura with Krishna Kutty,

By 1957, Vajifdar had retired from performance. She then began to write reviews of dance for the Times of India.

Selected publications